UK
← All Year 1 English

Listening & responding

Year 1 · Speaking & listening

Listen to a word, choose its picture and practise responding thoughtfully to someone else.

Choose a game

Take your time, try a game and collect stars.

Activities to try together away from the screen

Listen, then do

Follow a short instruction together.

  1. Place a pencil and a book on a table. Ask the child to put the pencil beside the book.
  2. Let the child repeat the instruction before acting. Change the position word only after the first instruction is comfortable.
  3. Swap roles. Ask the child to explain an instruction clearly and tell you whether you followed it.

Take a listening turn

Show that you heard another person’s idea.

  1. Choose a familiar topic and let one person say a sentence about it.
  2. The listener repeats the main idea in their own words, then asks one relevant question.
  3. Swap roles. Keep the exchange brief and make space for each speaker to finish.

Helping your child with listening & responding

Listening includes understanding and response

Listening is more than hearing a sound. Children attend to a speaker, make sense of the message and respond in a way that fits. The picture activity practises recognising a small spoken vocabulary set. Conversation and following instructions add the social and language demands that a button-based task cannot supply.

Begin in a comfortable setting with little competing noise. Make sure the child knows the names of the pictures or objects before asking them to choose. Repeating a prompt is helpful support, not a failure. A child may demonstrate understanding by pointing or acting as well as by speaking.

Supporting spoken language in Year 1

The National Curriculum sets spoken-language requirements across Years 1–6, to be taught at an age-appropriate level. Relevant expectations include attentive participation, asking useful questions and responding to others. The collection is organised for Year 1 families but does not claim that these skills begin or end in this year.

Use short, meaningful exchanges rather than demanding long periods of stillness. A child who looks away may still be listening; check the response rather than assuming that eye contact proves understanding. Where hearing or language needs are already identified, follow the support and adaptations agreed with the child’s school or specialist.

Curriculum connection

These activities connect to the spoken-language requirements shared across Years 1–6, with tasks chosen for younger learners. Rhymes and retelling also support discussion of familiar reading. Read the official English programme of study.

Questions families ask

Does this activity use the microphone?

No. It plays saved whole-word audio and checks a picture choice. Conversation activities happen with a grown-up and are not recorded.

Can I read the prompts myself?

Yes. Model the words clearly and use the same picture choices. The saved voice uses British English, so discuss pronunciation differences naturally.